In response to the Kurdish independence vote, Iran has closed the border with Iraqi Kurdistan. [Link] The Syrian government has refused to validate the vote. The Iraqi Parliament has voted send troops to the Kirkuk Province and other disputed areas. The Turkish government has threated to stop oil exports from the Iraqi Kurds. [Link]

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces claim they were hit by a Russian airstrike outside of Deir Ezzor. Russia denies the claims. [Link]

Dozens of children were killed by a US airstrike in Syria that hit a school. [Link]

News Roundup 9/26/17 was first posted on September 26, 2017 at 5:38 am.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92617/feed/0Capitalism And Backscratchershttps://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/capitalism-and-backscratchers/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/capitalism-and-backscratchers/#respondTue, 26 Sep 2017 07:31:25 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12269Capitalism And Backscratchers was first posted on September 26, 2017 at 2:31 am.]]>I’d like to relate a blog-appropriate anecdote concerning an epiphany I just experienced. The other day I saw a backscratcher for sale at the store. It was a metal hand, with a telescoping rod, connected to a plastic handle. The display rack containing these scratchers held a variety of color options. The whole thing made me think: “This wasteful culture we live in and its stupid junk. Can someone please explain why I would ever buy such a thing?”

Just tonight, I was walking around my apartment, and suddenly my back really started itching. Without thinking, I tried to scratch it. After a minute, I realized, this itch wasn’t getting scratched. For the life of me, I couldn’t reach it. Then I thought of the red, yellow, blue, green, pink, white and black backscratchers on that rack. I wanted one! I knew where it would go in my apartment, when I didn’t need it.

Do you think the Soviets would have ever made these things?

The point being that demand for such a thing exists, but it exists few and far between, where you don’t think about or anticipate your need until you realize you don’t have what you really need. Somehow, the market allows for discovery of this demand, and marketing towards it such that this is a product that ends up getting made. It’s as if the market can read our minds.

What’s better, that, or a commissar who makes a list on a piece of paper of what he figures we need?

Capitalism And Backscratchers was first posted on September 26, 2017 at 2:31 am.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/capitalism-and-backscratchers/feed/0The Asia-Pacific Encompasses More Than U.S.-North Korea Relationshttps://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/asia-pacific-encompasses-u-s-north-korea-relations/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/asia-pacific-encompasses-u-s-north-korea-relations/#respondTue, 26 Sep 2017 02:41:08 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12267The Asia-Pacific Encompasses More Than U.S.-North Korea Relations was first posted on September 25, 2017 at 9:41 pm.]]>This article originally appeared at Anti-Media.

In America’s latest show of force on the Korean Peninsula, U.S. jetsflew further north of the demilitarized zone than they have at any time in this century. The flight followed a week ofname-calling from both the U.S. and North Korea during which nothing of any substance — suggestions on how to scale back tensions, for example — was uttered.

The current anxiety surrounding the situation between the United States and North Korea is rooted in uncertainty. No one really seems to knowhow advanced Kim’s missiles are or if he would actually use them, just as no one seems to have a firm grasp on how much of Trump’s talk aboutannihilating the Hermit kingdom entirely can be taken at face value.

In fact, this uncertainty is having a direct effect on global financial markets. A new survey shows over 80 percent of Wall Street CFOs now feel the soaring stock market isreadying for a downturn, with many citing U.S.-North Korea tensions as one of the most worrisome factors.

And while the world’s attention is understandably focused on the possibility of military conflict on the Korean Peninsula, it’s important to note that this fact hasn’t stopped the major players of the Asia-Pacific from making moves.

China, the only country on Earth that canrival the United States as a dominant superpower, has set the regional tone. In both statement and action, China hasdemonstrated that its grand plan to link the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa through digital and physical infrastructure is very much alive.

As recently as Saturday, the country’s Ministry of Land and Resources was urging countries with a stake in Chinese mining to eschew protectionist policies — the type oftenattributed to President Donald Trump — in favor of those more conducive to China’s aims.FromReuters:

“China’s Minister of Land and Resources on Saturday called for trade protectionism to be totally opposed as he pledged to promote greater cooperation in the mining industry as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.”

That minister, Jiang Daming, who was speaking at a mining conference in Tianjin, mentioned China’s willingness to help develop the infrastructure of countries that would play ball. From the same article:

“Jiang, who in his speech drew on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s revival of the ancient Silk Road, which Beijing calls the Belt and Road Initiative, said China would establish a mechanism to promote resource prosperity and development in countries taking part in the scheme.”

China asserting itself has left other key players in the Asia-Pacific in the position of having to respond. This position has been the subject of muchcommentary of late, as it appears that two of those players, Japan and India, are quickly strengthening ties.

Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abevisited India to shake hands and take pictures with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two men werebreaking ground on a new high-speed rail project, a venture funded by a generous low-interest loan from Japan.

The launch of the bullet train project came just weeks after India’s more than two-month longstandoff with China at Doklam had ended, and some analysts saw it as an opportunistic move by Japan.From the South China Post on Saturday:

“In recent months there has been a determined effort by Japan, and its many friends resident in India, to bring these two Asian giants closer and close ranks against the third and increasingly assertive Asian giant.

“The Doklam crisis gave Japan a great opportunity to win goodwill in India and it seized the opportunity with both hands by becoming only one two countries, alongside the United States, that openly supported India during the stand-off.

“Suddenly editorials and commentaries in India are waxing eloquent about a new strategic relationship to counter China.”

Thing is, the analysts could be right. During Abe’s cheerful visit with Modi, the two leaders vowed to furtherdeepen their countries’ military ties. This cooperation makes even more sense when you consider that Japan is a mainstay of the U.S. security umbrella and it seems India is becoming more so by the week.

“When US Secretary of Defence James Mattis flies out to New Delhi later today, his top priority will be to try and ensure that the new India-US ‘major defence partnership’ ends up being more than a talk-shop on strategic issues of mutual concern.

“On top of the agenda is the sale of 22 Sea Guardian remotely-piloted vehicles, a $2 billion sale that could see the Indian Navy acquire the world’s most advanced maritime reconnaissance drone.”

Let us not forget that this year’s annual joint drills between the U.S., Japan, and India were thebiggest they’ve ever been and marked the largest naval presence in the region in decades.

When those exercises kicked off back in July, the titles of the mainstream media’s articles left little doubt as to how they wanted their readers to interpret the news. “India, U.S. and Japan Begin War Games, and China Hears a Message” was thetitle from the New York Times. Similarly, CNNwent with “US, India and Japan begin naval exercises, as China looks on.”

So a strengthening bond between Japan and India does make sense in the context of them both operating within a larger U.S.-led sphere. And at a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last week, the three countries again showed cohesion on the issue of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) vision.From the Times of India on September 19:

“Close on the heels of the Indo-Japan summit, which saw the two countries calling for a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, India and Japan along with the US again sought to address concerns over China’s OBOR, saying that connectivity initiatives must not undermine sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj had a ministerial trilateral with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and the Japanese foreign minister, Taro Kono, on the sidelines of UNGA on Monday in which, according to a statement by MEA, views on maritime security, connectivity and proliferation issues were exchanged.”

These developments are worth looking at. What’s happening in North Korea is troublesome, yes, and heavy scrutiny is justified. But it’s abundantly clear that the U.S. has designs on the Asia-Pacific far beyond eliminating the Kim Jong-un regime, so it’s important, especially now, that we not let ourselves be distracted by all the noise.

The Asia-Pacific Encompasses More Than U.S.-North Korea Relations was first posted on September 25, 2017 at 9:41 pm.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/asia-pacific-encompasses-u-s-north-korea-relations/feed/0News Roundup 9/25/17https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92517/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92517/#respondMon, 25 Sep 2017 10:45:58 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12253News Roundup 9/25/17 was first posted on September 25, 2017 at 5:45 am.]]>

The Israeli military carried out airstrikes in near Damascus. Israel claims it was targeting Hezbollah. [Link]

Yemen’s President Hadi says that he only sees a military solution in the Yemen Civil War. [Link]

Saudi Arabia claims to have shot down a missile launched from Yemen. [Link]

News Roundup 9/25/17 was first posted on September 25, 2017 at 5:45 am.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92517/feed/0Kurdistani Independence: Why We Live In A Liehttps://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/kurdistani-independence-live-lie/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/kurdistani-independence-live-lie/#respondMon, 25 Sep 2017 06:04:31 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12242Kurdistani Independence: Why We Live In A Lie was first posted on September 25, 2017 at 1:04 am.]]>Apparently, Israel supports Kurdish independence.

During the most recent Syrian conflict, it’s been understood that the Pentagon has supported and operated through Kurdish forces. The relationship of the Pentagon with Kurdish groups is longstanding. The idea that “Pentagon” (as opposed to CIA etc.) leadership dislikes Iran is also longstanding.

The new “Shia crescent” from Tehran to Damascus – courtesy of Dick Cheney’s Iraq War 2.0 – is the big geopolitical frustration to this group. Israel in particular seems to prefer disorder and chaos in that region.

So now Kurds vote for independence. Baghdad and its Iranian allies will likely invade, as will Turkey. What will the Pentagon and Israel do? What about the CIA?

Let’s get to the point: this is effectively a micro-world war, and it is being fought almost entirely through clandestine policy. And we don’t live in an empire? Come on America!

Kurdistani Independence: Why We Live In A Lie was first posted on September 25, 2017 at 1:04 am.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/kurdistani-independence-live-lie/feed/0Trump And The NFLhttps://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/trump-and-the-nfl/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/trump-and-the-nfl/#respondSun, 24 Sep 2017 20:51:34 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12237Trump And The NFL was first posted on September 24, 2017 at 3:51 pm.]]>Here comes the mob mentality. Don’t we live in a country of idiots? Are you going to kneel, why aren’t you kneeling, huh? How long until 4th grade girls are kneeling at their softball games? How many mothers will post on instagram how proud they are of their kneeling sports champs?

But they won’t oppose the war will they? Because the bad terrorists are over there.

And Trump continues to make a fool of himself, and alienate himself from everyone. Hey, at least he’s belittling the despicable office of the Presidency, while simultaneously breaking up the bread and circuses affair of NFL army recruitment advertising. Hey, maybe he’s secretly on our side huh?

Trump And The NFL was first posted on September 24, 2017 at 3:51 pm.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/trump-and-the-nfl/feed/0Sioux Tribe Says Elder Beaten and Tased by Cop While Trying to Visit Dying Motherhttps://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/sioux-tribe-says-elder-beaten-tased-cop-trying-visit-dying-mother/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/sioux-tribe-says-elder-beaten-tased-cop-trying-visit-dying-mother/#respondFri, 22 Sep 2017 20:32:05 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12208Sioux Tribe Says Elder Beaten and Tased by Cop While Trying to Visit Dying Mother was first posted on September 22, 2017 at 3:32 pm.]]>This article originally appeared at Anti-Media.

South Dakota — The Yankton Sioux Tribe isclaiming police used excessive force to prevent one its tribal elders, 64-year-old Raymond Cournoyer Sr., from seeing his dying mother in a nursing home last weekend. Cournoyer was detained following the incident with police andwasn’t able to see his mother before she passed.

Cournoyer, whospoke to Argus Leader on Tuesday, says he spent most of Saturday at the nursing home and that his mother was doing well, so he left that evening and returned home. He says the call he got from sister telling him to rush back to the city of Wagner to say his goodbyes was unexpected.

According to the Grand Forks Herald, an affidavit from the South Dakota Highway Patrol says one of their troopers clocked Cournoyer, a resident of Lake Andes, doing 72 in 65 mph zone. Cournoyer’s refusal to pull over prompted the trooper to call for backup from the Wagner Police Department when the vehicle crossed into those city limits.

The trooper followed Cournoyer to the nursing home. The Yankton Sioux Tribe released a statement to the press, and its claims of what happened next weresummed up by the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan:

“After verbally informing the officer of his intention to be at his mother’s side during her final moments and then taking a few steps, Cournoyer was allegedly grabbed from behind and pushed against his vehicle. At that point in time, the tribe claims a member of the Wagner City Police Department arrived on scene and slammed Cournoyer to the ground face first and tazed him. Both officers then placed Cournoyer in handcuffs, the tribe said.”

The tribe further claimed that the Wagner police officer, Eli Kuhlman, who fired the taser, was a recent hire and uncertified. Argon Leaderconfirmed that claim with Wagner’s city attorney. Kuhlman had been with the six-person force for less than a year and had that full year to complete officer certification.

In fact, Cournoyer’s daughter Philomena, who was a witness and posted photos of the encounter to Facebook, wrote in herpost that she had to put her own skills to use that night due to the officer’s inexperience:

“I just thought I would share this as well, I am the one who had to remove the taser prongs that were stuck in his skin after they tased him. They police officer didn’t know how to remove them. If the officer is too incompetent to remove the taser after firing it how is he even allowed to use it?”

Speaking to Argus Leader, Chiara Cournoyerdescribed her sister Philomena as a trained medical technician with a goal of becoming a tribal police officer.

Philomena furtherclaimed in her post that the reason her father wasn’t able to say his goodbyes is that the officers made the family wait outside the nursing home for 45 minutes while they talked over what to charge Raymond with.

According to the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the eventual charge was eluding law enforcement. That agency has since claimed via press statement that the behavior of its trooper, Weston Fischer, was justified that night:

“South Dakota Highway Patrol has reviewed the actions of our trooper during this incident, and the trooper’s actions were professional and within South Dakota Highway Patrol policy. The South Dakota Highway Patrol did not request DCI investigation, but we have and will fully cooperate with it.”

The aforementioned investigation into the incident, being conducted by the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), came at the request of the city of Wagner police chief, Argus Leaderconfirmed.

As of Friday, whether or not charges will be brought against the officers remains unclear. In an update on the case on Thursday, Argus Leaderreported that that if charges are indeed filed, they won’t be handled by the county prosecutor.

The reason State Attorney Steve Cotton gave is that Raymond Cournoyer Sr. has been an expert witness on family law and tribal matters on too many cases for the county.

“In order to avoid any appearance of impropriety, we’re going to transfer it over to another office,” Cottonsaid, adding that because Cournoyer is “knowledgeable about child rearing and tribal culture, he’s a great expert witness for us.”

A determination into what agency would handle any potential charges has yet to be made.

As the Cournoyer family grieves the loss of a family member, the Yankton Sioux Tribe has called for a meeting with the city government of Wagner to discuss the issue. From the tribe’sstatement to the press:

“We do not know if there is room to have a respectful discussion about the incident but we must try. Therefore, we have invited the City of Wagner’s Mayor, City Council, and Chief of Police to meet so that we can exchange information, opinions and ideas on ways our communities can address this incident and move forward. We hope they take us up on the offer.”

Sioux Tribe Says Elder Beaten and Tased by Cop While Trying to Visit Dying Mother was first posted on September 22, 2017 at 3:32 pm.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/sioux-tribe-says-elder-beaten-tased-cop-trying-visit-dying-mother/feed/0News Roundup 9/22/17https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92217/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92217/#respondFri, 22 Sep 2017 10:51:48 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12197News Roundup 9/22/17 was first posted on September 22, 2017 at 5:51 am.]]>

Axon has invented a program that allows citizens to upload videos to police. [Link]

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has become a star neoconservative. [Link]

Senator Bernie Sanders said Saudi Arabia is not an ally of the US. [Link]

National Security Advisor McMaster said the Iran deal is fundamentally flawed. [Link] Secretary of State Tillerson admits Iran is complying with the deal. [Link]

Trump signed an Executive Order allowing sanctions on companies that trade with North Korea. [Link]

This article has basic information on the Catalonian independence vote. [Link]

Catalonian leaders say the crackdown by Spanish police is a major blow to their independence vote. [Link]

India says Pakistan is ‘Terrorstan’ and said Pakistan exports terrorists to other countries. [Link]

Syrian Kurds will hold the first in a series of three votes on Friday. The second round of voting in November and the third round is in January. The January vote will form a Parliment for Syrian Kurdistan. [Link]

Russia warns the US that Russia troops are near the front lines in the Deir Ezzor Province. This puts Russian troops within a few miles of the US-backed forces. [Link] Russia has accused the US-backed forces of hitting Assad allied forces with artillery. [Link]

News Roundup 9/22/17 was first posted on September 22, 2017 at 5:51 am.]]>https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/news-roundup-92217/feed/0FL Residents Warned They’ll Be Ticketed for Hurricane-Damaged Homeshttps://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/fl-residents-warned-theyll-be-ticketed-for-hurricane-damaged-homes/
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/blog/fl-residents-warned-theyll-be-ticketed-for-hurricane-damaged-homes/#respondThu, 21 Sep 2017 20:26:54 +0000https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/?p=12177FL Residents Warned They’ll Be Ticketed for Hurricane-Damaged Homes was first posted on September 21, 2017 at 3:26 pm.]]>This article originally appeared at Anti-Media.

Miami-Dade County, FL — At a time when South Floridians rocked by Hurricane Irma were still surveying the damage to their properties, the country of Miami-Dade apparently thought it appropriate to begin handing out safety notices.

Celso Pereztold local WSVN-TV that he, his family, and his neighbors were starting to clear fallen trees from the streets after the storm passed through at nine in the morning on Monday. Hours later, in the afternoon, Perez got a visit from the county.

“And we thought he was here to help us or offer some type of assistance with the trees, maybe he was going to bring us ice or something,” Perez told WSVN. Instead, the official slapped a safety notice on the only part of Perez’s fence still standing.

“I laughed,” he said. “I thought he was kidding. ‘You are kidding right? We just had a hurricane six hours ago.’ ‘No, I’m not kidding. I have to cite you for this.’ I just laughed. OK, whatever; knock yourself out!”

But Perez stopped laughing when the official told him he would be writing up a report and would be back to check on the property. Perez told WSVN that the man said he’d “have to write me a fine” if the fence wasn’t up to code by that time.

“At the time this officer was out here, we didn’t have power, we didn’t have food, we didn’t have ice. He is crazy, ridiculous,” Perez said, adding that “it’s not like I can go to Home Depot” because all the stores were closed.

The South Floridian says he understands that there is a lot of work that needs to be done but that the county’s rush to issue warnings was inappropriate:

“Give us a minute to breathe. Let us get our power back on. And I wouldn’t mind if they told me that a few days down the line or due time but it bothers me that they came out here just a few hours after the storm had passed.”

On the issue of restoring power, Reasonnoted that at the time Miami-Dade was handing out citations — the WSVN investigationfound Perez was far from alone; the county handed out 680 pool barrier and 177 electrical hazard notices in the hours after Irma — 16,510 homes and businesses were stillwithout power.

When Reason tried to confirm with Miami-Dade if monetary fines would be attached to citations, the countyresponded with the following statement:

“We were looking to advise residents of the following hazards on their properties that they may not have been aware of, but that pose a life safety threat: damaged structures that rendered them unsafe, unsecured pools with no barriers, electrical hazards (down lines, damaged meters) and gas hazards (damaged meters). If any of these hazards were found, our inspectors gave out a safety notice, which is neither a notice of violation warning nor a citation. That means there is no fine attached. The safety notices given to property owners identify the hazard, steps that should be taken to correct the hazard, and who to contact for additional information.”

Fine or no, WSVN’s legal expert and Broward Countypublic defender, Howard Finkelstein,said the timing was “awful” for the people trying to recover:

“This is outrageous. After Irma, people were stressed, they were worried and for a government official to slap a warning notice on them to add to their misery is insulting.”